1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to valves for power machines, such as engines or compressors that have two or more pistons which work against each other, preferably with a common combustion or compression chamber in a stationary cylinder and where power is transmitted to a rotating movement without an intermediate crankshaft.
2. Description of the Related Art
In presently know engines the valve control means are very complicated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a power machine having a simple valve control means.
In combustion engines the transmission of force from a reciprocating motion to a rotating motion is generally by means of some kind of crankshaft or the like. In certain cases crankshafts are however less suitable and this is especially the case when reciprocating movements of different, often opposite reactions are both transferred into a rotating motion. This concerns especially the kind of power machines, i.e. combustion engines, compressors or pumps, where two pistons at the same time work against each other in a common cylinder bore. In these cases the use of crankshafts brings with it complicated mechanical designs to combine the force from the two pistons into a common rotating motion. The transmission of force between a reciprocating motion and a-rotating motion can instead be by means of a ball bearing mechanism which runs in different tracks and comprises a ball which is surrounded by a ballholder which is attached to a piston-rod for-each ball or to a corresponding device for transmission of the linear movement.
One such device, as disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 09/160,359, has two parallel plane discs, one stationary disc and one relatively thereto rotating disc. In a cylinder which is positioned central relative to the discs, there are two pistons which are working pistons 07 a combustion engine having a common combustion chamber. Firmnly joined to each of the pistons is a piston rod which at its opposite end has a holder means for the ball by which the force from the reciprocating motion is transferred to the rotating disc. The balls also serve as bearing between the stationary disc and the rotating disc. The rotating disc is mounted to a holder which in turn is mounted to an outgoing shaft from which the rotating force is taken for various driving purposes. The balls move both in linear tracks in the fixed disc and in a common elliptic or otherwise closed track in the rotating disc. It is also possible to exchange the balls for other means having a corresponding function for example rolls or pins which roll or slide in the tracks. In other embodiments the tracks may be substituted for by protruding edges contacting for example roller or slide bearings of the sides of the edges.